Craig Groeschel – Catalyst 2014 Highlights #catalyst14

How do we create a culture of innovation?

At one point in church history, the church was the innovators. The church influenced the arts and the sciences. The church knew how to create.

Now, the church has lost it’s innovation.

God is good. God is creative. God is innovative. Why shouldn’t the church be?

1. Limited resources are needed to be innovative – The church often says we can’t because we don’t… We don’t have enough. We do have what we think we need. We don’t have enough money. We don’t have enough volunteers.

God has given you everything you need to reach everyone He wants you to reach. You are not as limited as you have.

https://twitter.com/SilbiJohn/status/518036103346286592

Limited resources are not a hindrance for what you need to do. Limited resources are a catalyst for what you can do.

2. A willingness to fail – The mindset of failure is not an option is a mindset that limits us more than frees us to be creative. More often than not, what was built was because you were willing to fail.

https://twitter.com/SilbiJohn/status/518040845551796224

3. Increasing passion – Whatever you’re working towards, you need to continually increase your passion. For church leaders, this is a passion for God.

This isn’t an increasing passion to reach people for Christ. It’s not an increasing passion to see changed lives. It’s not a passion to take the message of God to the world.

Rather it’s a We have to reach people for Christ. We have to see changed lives. We have to take the message of God to the world.

https://twitter.com/SilbiJohn/status/518032845882023936

"…and the drunk guy led himself to Christ standing outside the bar." @craiggroeschel #hadtobethere

— Andy Stanley (@AndyStanley) October 3, 2014

Matt Chandler – Catalyst 2014 Highlights #catalyst14

Our calling isn’t to just preach the gospel on Sundays or Wednesdays or whenever your services are held. We’re called to preach the Word all the time, in season and out of season.

There are three ways we can do this:

1. Reprove –

To reprove you have to know what’s in the Bible and believe in the Bible. You cannot reprove by what sounds right.

2. Rebuke –

You have to enter the space where there is error. We are able to tell others to be careful, things may end in trouble if you keep going in the direction you’re going.

3. Exhort –

We’re not left with rebuke and reproof. God goes one step further. He takes us to exhortation.

Exhort. Encourage. Speak life into. Applaud.

This should be the result of reproof and rebuke.

Stay even-keeled. Be calm in spirit:

We need to take care of ourselves in our call of a marathon ministry. So, what do we do to take care of our spirit.

Be serious about rest. Learn to take rest, not vacations or fun times, but a time of refreshing rest in the Lord.

Carefully guard and care for our hearts: Pay attention to what you’re thinking. Your thoughts are public to the only one who really matters. There are no secrets.

We don’t take every thought captive so we have this little pet lion in our mind. We justify the little feeding of the lion.

This means thinking unclean thoughts. This means thinking greedy thoughts. This means thinking the things that aren’t holy.

Pay attention for signs you’re fatigued: Check yourself to see if you’re loving and compassionate to the ones you’re leading and serving. When you begin to lose the love and compassion, you’re more than likely becoming fatigued.

The desire to avoid difficult people can mean that you’re walking in the flesh. I’ve been there. Matt’s been there. You’ve probably been there.

Watch your rhythms: Create rhythms in your life that can restore you. You can have routines that will call you back to where you need to be.

You could have prayer retreats, time to get away from everything else, or set aside time to dig into the Bible. Find your rhythm here and get into it.

Learn to find that your worth isn’t in doing but in being.

Endure suffering: Paul continues to pound into Timothy that suffering is a part of following Christ. You cannot separate that from the life you’ve been given.

Suffering isn’t pleasant. In fact, it sucks. Yet we’re called to suffer, we shouldn’t be surprised by suffering.

Do the work of an evangelist: This is an interesting point. I’ve been taught that we should work in our spiritual gifts and evangelism is one of those gifts.

When you do the work of an evangelist, you’re reminded of how sharp you’re not. The work of an evangelist will put you on your face. Your experience as an evangelist will also show you how your heart is towards God.

Things people are happy about, people are open and ready to share about what they love. This helps you to check your heart.

Fulfill YOUR ministry: Taking on your ministry and not the ministry of others has been a heavy theme of Catalyst Atlanta this year. Are you working on someone’s ministry because you want to be someone else or are you doing what you’re doing in ministry because it’s what you’re really called to.

Love your ministry. Live out your ministry. Do your ministry.

Seek to become the best leader you can. Seek out the best practices. But BE YOU.

Andy Stanley – Catalyst 2014 Highlights #catalyst14

• Who are you and what breaks your heart?
• There’s an inexorable correlation between leadership and change.
• Great leaders make things better.
• Every time you make things better something must change.
• Status quo is supposed to drive you crazy.
• Great leaders love to fix things that are broken.
• We hate to see broken things continue to be broken. But when you try to fix things you introduce change.

• Great leaders don’t blame.
• Broken-hearted leaders change things that go beyond their current generation.
• If you are a leader you are called by God to bring about change in the things that break your heart. You are not called to change the world but you are called to change something.
• If you opt for purposelessness because of fear, there will come a day where you will wish you could come back to the thing that scares you to death but breaks your heart.
• What God originates God orchestrates.
• If God has originated a broken-heart in you “how” is not a problem. Nehemiah’s broken heart was part of a divine design.
• Leaders address the “how”. God is the God of How.

Click Here to listen to Andy Stanley on Vision is a team sport Podcast

How should Christians respond to persecution ?

In persecution, how do we respond? First, with submission knowing God has a plan and that God is going to open a door even in the persecution and maybe take me to a tribunal that I would otherwise have no access to. Secondly, fall with all your weight and all your weakness on the power of the Holy Spirit and the promise of the Holy Spirit to fill you, empower you, and give you the things to say. Thirdly, this is the one that is most defining, boldly present the gospel. Do not compromise the gospel.

Thinking back to the upper room just in conclusion, in John 15, Jesus said this in verse 18, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. The slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they’ll keep yours also. But all these things, they will do to you for My name sake because they don’t know the one who sent Me.” Verse 23, “He who hates Me, hates my Father also.” Then in verse 25, “They hated Me without a cause.”

Verse 16, “These things I’ve spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue,” social persecution. “An hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think he is offering service to God. These things, they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. But these things I have spoken to you so that when their hour comes, you may remember what I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you, but now I’m going to Him who sent Me.” I’m leaving, and I’m telling you these things so that you’ll be ready.

He closes that 16th chapter by saying in verse 33, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” The worst that can happen to us is that they kill us, and that would be our ultimate triumph, right? If you live a godly life in the world, you will be confronted, and you will likely be persecuted. Submit to that with a gracious attitude. Don’t retaliate. Christians don’t need to get an army and go kill Muslims, and individuals don’t need to return persecution with hatred. They are the mission field, not the enemy. Submit to the Spirit and boldly preach the gospel. Leave the results to God.

Need Directions, Need Wisdom ?

Alistair Begg on how to Get Wisdom from God ?

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. – James 1:5